Elevator-door-control system



April 6 1926. 1,579,754

H. E. CAVANAH ELEVATQR DOOR CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Oct. 10, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESS INVENTOR 26 601 Maw Q 7 BY it; ATTORNEYS 'A pr'il 6,1926. 1,579,754 H. E. CAVANAH ELEVATOR. DOOR CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Oct. 10. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 VMAZGJY ZMQ --4L ATTORNEYS WITNESS M April 6 1926. 1,579,754

- H. E. CAVANAH ELEVATOR DOOR CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Oct. 10, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ill! 2, ATTORNEYS April 6, 1926. 1,579,754

H. E. CAVANAH ELEVATOR DOORCONTROL SYSTEM Filed oct. 10, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.9.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Fig.8.-

WITNESS Patented Apr. 6, 1926 PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD EL CAVANLAH, 0)? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 'Id RANDALL CON- TR'OL AND HYDROMETRIC COB'BORATION,

PORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A core- ELEVATOR-DOOR-GONTROL SYSTEM.

Application filed October 10, 1921 Serial No. 506,866.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD E. CAVANAH,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Los- Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Elevator-Door-Control System, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to devices for controlling the opening and closing of elevator shaft doors. and. particularly to systems wherein the motoror other device for open ing and closing the shaft door is carried by the elevator car and is operatively positioned with respect to the door when the-car arrives at the landing. Devices of this nature have been heretofore proposed in which a movable element projecting from the car is brought into engagement with an engaging element on the door-as the car approaches a landing. The presence of this projecting element on the car presents several disadvantageous features, which it is the object of the present invention to overcome. In practice, it is found that the projecting element will; strike other elements or devices arranged. in the shaft, causing damage and breakage to the element on the car andthedevices in the shaft, which damageon many occasions is serious, rendering the elevator inoperable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a door moving element on the car, which is normally in retracted position and which is movable to extended or door engaging position only while the car is at a landing. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a door moving element carried. by thecar, which is moved to retracted position as soon as the door has been closed.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for preventing the projection of the door moving element until the car is stopped at a landing and to prevent'ihefurther movement of the car until the door moving element has been moved to retracted position.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the foregoing, willbe set forth at length in the following description, where I shall outline in an; that form of the inventi n which I have selected for illustration in the rawings ac companying and formingpartof the present specification. In said drawings,.I have shown one embodiment of the system of my invention in association with a pneumatical ly operated door moving device, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form or to such environment, since the invention, as set forth in the claims, may

be embodied in a plurality of other forms means into engagement with the shaft door,

the mechanism being shown 111' closed door position. i

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the mechanism for controlling the operation of" the shaft door engaging means,the mechanism being shown in full lines in closed door position and in dotted lines open door position.

Fig. 4. is an elevation of: the shaft door engaging means.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the shaft door engaging means. I

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the shaft door engaging-means, in the retracted position. I i

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of the door locking and "circuit controlling means. I.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic representationof the door and power controlling means.

F ig- E) is a detail of the interlock between the door and power controlling means.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown in combination with a pneumatically operated door moving apparatus for controlling the movement of the car, and while such combination is eflicicnt and desirable, it is to be understoodthat the present invention is not limited to such combination, since it may be advantageously employed in combination with doors moved by other types of motors ormanually moved.

The elevator shaft, which the elevator car moves, is provided at each floor with a shaft door 2 whi isfu'sually mounted to roller slide transversely on a traekway se= cured to the building structure. Each shaft door is provided with a suitable lock, for locking the door in the closed position, and the lock may be of any desired design and positioned in any desirable place. The lock shown in the drawings comprises a pivoted latch l adapted to engage a shoulder on the bar 5 secured to the door, tolock the door in the closed position. The latch alis con-- nectcd to the bell crank lever (3 by the link 7, so that movement of the lever G will raise the latch and release the door. The arm 8 of the lever 6 is provided with a projecting pin 9 which is engaged by a movable shoe 1.2 carried 011 the car and positioned adjacent the pin when the car is at a landing. Movement of the shoe outward rocks the lever 6 to release the door.

The system is shown installed in an clcctrically operated ele *ator system and means are provided for opening the electric circuit as the door is unlocked and holding the circuit open until the door is again closed and locked so that the elevator cannot be operated while the shaft door is open or unlocked. The arm 13 of the lever G, which arm moves substantially vertically, is provided on its end with a vertical slot through which a depending wire 1% in the shaft passes. The wire is provided with abutments on opposite sides of the lever and is vertically movable in the shaft, so that the unlocking of any shaft door will move the wire vertically. Connected to the wire is a. switch 15 in the elevator power circuit and the upward movement of the wire causes this switch to open, holding the elevator car inoperative.

The shoe 12, on the car, is pivotally mounted on levers, so that it is movable laterally, to operate the bell cranklever G. In the present construction the levers are connected to the piston rod ofthe pneumatic cylinder 16, so that when air under pressure is admitted to the cylinder 16, the shoe is moved to unlock the door and open the elec-- trio circuit. This construction is more fully shown and described in the copending ap plication of \Villiam H. Hartman, Serial No. 409,758, filed September 13, 1920, which has been patented Feb. 6, 1923, as Patent No. 1,4d h313 to which reference is hereby made. Air under pressure is supplied to the elevator car through the conduit 17, which is connected by a suitable flexible conduit with an air pipe in the shaft, and the passage of air to and from the cylinder 16 is controlled by a valve 18, connected to the rod 19 in the elevator car by the bell crank lever 21 and link 22. The rod 19 extends through the car and is provided with an operating lever 23 for noving it vertically. 'Movement of the car is controlled by the control lever 24 to which is connected a concurrently movable rod 25 until the controller lever 2 f is in neutral position and after the door has been unlocked, the controller lever cannot be moved from neutral position until the door is again locked. Connected to the rod 19, by suitable bell crank lever 26, is a sliding slotted plate 27, through which the rod 25 extends. The rod 25 is provided with two abutmcnts 28 separated by a narrow neck and the plate has a central aperture 29 through wh ch the abutments may slide and narrower slots 31 opening into the central aperture. When the rod 19 has been axially moved by bell crank lever 23 to its lower position, corres iionding to the closed condition of the door, the ccn tral aperture 29 is axially alined with the rod .25 and the rod 25 may be freely moved. lVhen the controller lever and the rod 25 are in neutral position, the narrow neck lies in the slotted portion of the plate, so that the plate may be readily moved, but neither element can be moved when the other is moved from neutral position. It is, therefore, necessary to bring the controller lever to neutral position before the door can be unlocked and after the door is unlocked, the controller lever cannot be moved.

The elevator car is provided with means for opening and closing the shaft door. lilounted on the car is a pneumatic motor 3 h to which the admission of air under pressure is controlled by the valve 35 which is connected to the shoe 12 by the rod 36, so that the valve is opened and closed as the shoe is moved. Movement of the shoe in the direction to unlock the door causes the operation of the motor in a direction to open the door and vice versa. Connected to the motor and moved thereby is a movable element adapted to engage a complen'ientary elementon the shaft door when the car is at a landing, to open and close the shaft door and the element carried by the car is movable from retracted to extended position to engage the complementary element on the door. The complementary element may be mechanically connected to the door in any appropriate manner, and in order to reduce the magnitude of movement of the element carried by the car,- it is advisable to attach a lever to the door and position the complementary element on the lever, between the fulcrum and the point of connection to the door. Fulcrumed on the shaft wall above the door and pivoted at its lower end to the door, is lever 38, on which is mounted a roller 39, which is positioned to be engaged by the complementary element on the car. The roller is preferably frustroconical in shape to insure ready engagement with the element on the car.

jected, will engage the'roller.

. Mounted on the car, and preferably at the top thereof, adjacent the pneumatic motor, is a frame ortraclrway, comprising thehorizon'tally disposedrails 40. Mounted on the rails is a carriage lQ/which is adapted to move longitudinally of the trackway. Mounted on the carriage and movable longitudinally therewith, is the door-engaging element, comprising the parallels L3v which are adapted to engagethe roller 39 on the door structure. The parallels are preferably formed of angle irons having their adjacent faces inclined outwardly to form a flaring slot for the reception of the roller.

-Means are provided for moving the parallels to extended position to engage the roller and to retracted position, to tree the roller and to move the parallels from the path of other elements in the shaft. The

parallels are mounted on bolts 4% bearing in the carriage 42, so that the parallels may move transversely to extended and retracted positions. Pivoted to the frame 41 at the remote end, is a liar 45 which is movable transversely at its other end. The bar is provided with a slot 46 in which a roller 47 attached tothe parallels, is disposed, so that theparallels may be moved longitudinally of their frame and their transverseposition controlled by the bar 45. The free end 48 of'the bar is normally retracted, holding the parallelsretracted', and the-parallels are normally positioned adjacent this end of the bar, being moved to the other end and back only to-open and close a shaft door. hen in this position, the parallels are disposed to aline themselves transversely with the roller 39 on a closed door, so that when the car arrives at a landing, the parallels, when prolVhen the free end of the bar 45 ismoved forward, the bar is brought into substantial parallelism with the track, so that the parallels remain projected duringtheir movement from one endof'the frame to the other. The carriage 42,- on which the parallels are mounted, is connected by the link 49with the piston rod of the pneumatic motor 3i, sothat upon operation of the valve 35, the carriage and the parallels are moved longitudinally along 'the tracltway to open and close the shaft from the cylinders, to client thedesired link- 54 and bell crank- 55, to'the free endof tliebar. The motor 51 comprises two opposed cylinders 56-and57, and the admission of air under pressure to and: the exhaust movement of the piston rod 52, is controlled by the iour-'\vay valve 58, which is operated by a lever 59; Normally, the lever 59 is disposed in the depressed position, and movement oi thelever 59 upwards operates the valve 58 tocause movement of the piston rod 52 to project the parallels, and downward movement of the lever. 59 from the raised position operates the valve 58 to cause rod 19 is accompanied by upward movement of the rod 61. Means are provided for holding the lever 59 in its upward position, to hold the parallels projected, during the operationof the other devices in opening and closing the door, thus insuring engagement of the parallels with the roller 39 on bar 38 connected to the door, until'the door is completely closed.

The rod 61 is connected at its upper'end to a three-armed lever 64 fulcrumedto some convenient element rigidwith the car. The bar 49has a horizontal extension carrying a notch 66 in the underside thereof in which there is normally disposed a roller 67 carried on the arm 68 of the lever 64; When the rod 61 is depressed and the carriage is'in its normal or door-closing position, the roller 67 is positioned in the notch 66, pre- '58 to retract the parallels when the door reaches the closed position. Fulcrumed on the car structure adjacent the lever (34 is a three-armed lever 'Tlhaving an arm 7 2 dis posed in the path oi. a roller or abutment 73 on the bar49, so that as the door starts to open or as it is opening, the roller Tilengages-thearm 72,- rotating the lever 71 in a countor-clockwise direction. A second arm 74 of the lever 71 is provided onits end with a spring-pressed latch 75, which iui'hc counter-clockwise movement of the lever snaps past the roller or abutment 76 on the depressed end of the arm 77 of the lever 61', taking a position belowsaid roller 73.,

On ho A. third arm 78 on the lever 71 acts as a counterweight, tending to rotate the lever 71 in a clockwise direction, which action is preventcd'by engagement; of the latch 75 with the roller 76. When the door reaches or approaches closed position, ln'inging the notch (36 over the roller (3?, the counterwehe ht arm 78 acting through the latch 75 pressing against the roller 76, will rotate the arm 77 in a counter-clockwise direction, .n'ioving the roller into the notch and reversing the position of the valve 58 to retract the parallels.

The operation of the apparatus is as itollow:

ll hen the elevator car arrives at. a floor, the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. l, with the parallels all depressed out of engagement with the roher 39 on the lever 38 and in line with the roller. The control lever 53- being in neutral position, the inter lock between the control lever and the door rentrol lever 22) is released. The door control lever is then mt d, locking the control lever Q-lagainst movement and setting into operation the various door llillOClililQ, and opening devices. Upward movement of the rod 19 operates valve 18 to admit air under pressure into cylinder 16, the piston of which moves the shoe 12 against the lever 6 to open the electric control circuit and lift the latch l, unlocking the door. The upward movement of the rod 19 also operates valve 58, causing the motor 51 to move the rod 54 and lever 55 to project the parallels into engagement with the roller 39. The move ment of the shoe 12, opens valve 35, admitting air under pressure to motor 3 t, thus moving the bar it) to slide the carriage &2, thus opening the door.

The initial opening movement of the door, operating through the bar 49, rocks lever 71 to position it with relation to lever 64, which was previously mbved by elevation of the rod 61, so that on closing the door, the lever (ll will be returned to neutral position. The lever 64. controls the extended or retracted position of the parallel 13 and these parallels are not retracted until the door has been fully closed. Movement of the rod 19 downward, causes the shoe 12 to be retracted and thevalve to be actuated to cause motor to close the door.

I claim:

.1. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft, a device on the car adapted to move the door, means carried by the car for moving said device transversely into operative relation with respect to the door and means on the car for moving said device longitudinally to move the door.

2. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors, of a car in said shaft, a device on the car adapted to engage adoor for the purpose of moving the door,

a motor on the car for moving said device transversely into engagement with the door and means on the car for moving said device longitudinally to move the engaged door.

In an elevator system having a shaft, a door for the shaft, and a car in the shaft, means carried by the ear for operating the door, comprising a member capable of being placed in tmerative relation with respect to the door for moving it, a motor for placing this member into operative relation and separate means for i'noving the door after the member is properly positioned.

l. In an elevator system having a shaft, :1 door for the shaft, and a car in the shaft, means carried by the car for operating the door, comprising a member capable of being placed into operative relation with respect to the door for moving it, a' support for this member whereby it may be moved in a direction to operate the door, a motor for placing the member into operative relation with the door, and separate means for moving the member on its support to operate the door.

5. in an elevator system! having a shaft, door for the shaft, and a car in the shaft, means carried by the car for operating the door, comprising a door moving motor, a member capable of being moved in a direction dilferent from that of the door movement, either to connect said motor mechanically with the door or to disconnect the motor from the door, and means for controlling the movement of said member, said latter means being responsive to the door position, whereby the member is retained in its connccting position until the door is closed.

6. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft, a normally retracted device on said car adapted to be moved transversely into operative relation with respect to the door for moving it, a longitudinally movable carriage on which said device is mounted and a motor on the car for moving said device transversely.

7. Th combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft, a normally retracted device on said car adapted to be moved transversely into operative relation with respect to the door for moving it, a longitudinally movable carriage on which said do ice is mounted, a motor on the car for moving said device transversely and a motor on the ear for moving said carriage longitudinally.

8. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft, a n0rmally retracted device on said car adapted to be moved transversely into operative relation with respect to the door for moving it, a longitudinally movable carriage on which said device is mounted, means on the ear for moving said device transversely,

means on the car for moving said carriage longitudinally and means for controlling the operation of both of said'means.

9. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door,-of car in said shaft, a normally retracted device on said car adapted it, a longitudinally movable carriage. on which said device is mounted, a trackway on which said carriage is movable longitudi nally, means for moving said device intoextended position with respect tosaid carriage, and means for moving the carriage along the trackvva-y.

10. In an elevator system having a shaft, a door for the shaft, and a car in the shaft, means carried by the car for operating the door, comprising a member capable of being placed into operative relation with respect to the door, a pneumatic motor for moving said member into operative relation, a valve for controlling the operation of the motor, and separate means for moving the door after the member is properly positioned.

11. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft, a normally retracted device on the car adapted to be moved into extended operative position, with respect to the door, a pneumatic motor for moving said device into such extended position, a valve for controlling the operation of said motor and means operative during the time that the door is open for preventing the operation of the valve:

12. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft, a normally retracted device on the car adapted to be moved into extended operative position with respect to the door, a pneumatic motor for moving said device into such extended, position whereby longitudinal movement of the device opens the door, and means for preventing the device being moved to retracted position while the door is open.

13. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft, a normally retracted device on the car adapted to be moved into extended opera tive position with respect to the door, a

pneumatic motor for moving said device into such extended position, means for moving said device.longitudinally to open the door and means for preventing the device being moved to retracted door is open.

14. The combination with an elevator shaft having'a door, of a carin said shaft, a normally retracted device on the car adapted to-be moved into extended opera tive posit-ion with respect to the door, a pneumatic motor for moving said device into such extended position, a valve for conposition while the the valve and the device operative to pre vent retractive movement of the device while the door is open i 15. The comliiination with an elevator shaft havinga door, of a car in said shaft, a. normally retracted device on the car adapted tobe moved into extended operative position with respect 'to'the door, a pneumatic motor for moving said device into suchexw tended position, a valve for controlling said motor, means for moving said device longitudinally to open said door, and means con- I necting said device and said valve operating to prevent the valve from being operated to retract the device while the door is open.

16. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door of acar in said shaft, a normally retracted device on the car adapted to be movedinto extended operative position with respect tothe door, a pneumatic motor for moving said device into such extended position, avalve for controlling said niotor, means for moving said device longitudinally to open said door, a bar movable longitudinally with said device and a lever engaging said bar and connected to said valve serving to hold the valve against operation while the door is open.

17. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft, a normally retracted device on the car adapted to bemoved into extended operative positionwith respect to the door, a pneumatic motor for moving said device intosuch extended position, a valve for controlling said motor, means for moving said device longitudinally to open said door, a

said valve serving to hold the. valve inoperative whilethe door in open, and means operative by the closingof the door for releasing saidvalve. I

18. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door-,of' a car in said shaft, a normally retracted device on the car adapted to be movedinto extended operative position with respect to the door, means for moving said device to extended position, means for moving the'device longitudinally to open the door, means preventing the devicebeing retracted while the door is open, and means operated by the closing of the door for moving said device to retracted position.

p 119. The -co1'nbi11atio11 with an elevator shaft having a door,'of a car in said shaft,

normally retracted means on said caradapted to be moved to extended operative positionwith respectto the door, a motor for moving said means to extended position, a motor for moving said means longitudinally to open and close the door and unitary means operative to successively operate said retracted means and said door moving means.

20. The combination with an elevator shaft having a door, of a car in said shaft,

-a controlling lever for controlling the motion of said car, a normally retracted device on said car adapted to be moved into extended operative position with respect to the door, means for moving said device to extended position and mechanism interconnecting the controlling lever and the moving means whereby, the retracted device cannot be moved to extended position while the controlling lever is out of neutral position.

21. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors, a lock on each door, means carried by the car for unlocking the locks on the successive doors, a normally retracted device on the car adapted to be moved into operative relationship with the successive doors, means for moving said device into operative relationship with a door, means operative by the unlocking of a door for moving said device longitudinally to open and close the door and means for preventing the operation of thecar while a door is open.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

' HOlVARD E. CAVANAH. 

